Every yoga teacher needsa few good yoga gameswhen teaching classes for kids and teens. However, you do not have to be a kids’ yoga teacher to play these fun yoga games with children. These games are great for improving attention and concentration.
Moreover, there are ten short yoga games, which take only five to ten minutes and are great to use at the beginning of class as a warm-up, during the last few minutes if you still have time. Furthermore, you may like to add some partner yoga poses for kids and teens to your kids yoga lesson plans.
When it comes to a child’s health and development, playing with kids is a serious business. Thus, enjoy your business!
1-Blind man’s Buff Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: A scarf to blindfold, small objects or toys as many as you like*, a box or a small cloth bag to put these objects or toys (*the toys you choose must match with the yoga poses, such as small animal toys)
Game Proceedings:
- Fill the toys of your choice in a bag or box.
- Tie the player’s eyes with a scarf.
- Help the player choose an object from the box.
- The player will guess what he/she is holding in his/her hand.
- If the player knows, he/she will do the yoga pose of the toy he/she is holding.
- If the player cannot guess the toy, the other player will do the related yoga pose.
2-Grandmother’s Yoga Steps:
Game Proceedings:
- Stand one person at one end of the space, facing away from the others in the group. This person is ‘Grandma’!
- The others make a line (side by side) some distance (a good ten paces ideally) back from Grandma.
- When Grandma isn’t looking, the line of others has to tiptoe quietly, without running towards her.
- Every time Grandma turns around, everyone freezes into a yoga pose – so all she sees are trees, houses, flamingos, dogs surfers etc!
3-Red Light, Green Light Yoga Game:
Game Proceedings:
- One person is chosen as the Stoplight. He or she stands at the front of theroom.
- The other players are the “cars,” and they start at the opposite wall.
- The Stoplight starts the game by calling “Green light!”
- The other players then use yoga poses to move forward.
- When the Stoplight calls “Red light!”, each player needs to be in a yogapose and remain still.
- Everyone takes a turn being the Stoplight.
4-Yogi Says Game:
Game Proceedings:
- One person is selected as the Yogi.
- The other players must do the yoga poses thatthe Yogi tells them to do if the instruction starts with “Yogi says.”
- If the Yogi doesn’t use “Yogi says,” thenplayers do not do the pose.
- Keep changing the person who is Yogi, so thateveryone gets a turn.
5-Mirror Yoga Game:
Game Proceedings:
- One person starts as the leader. The leader chooses a pose to do and showsit to the others.
- The other players copy the leader’s pose as ifthey are looking into a mirror.
- Change the leader with each round of poses, so thateveryone has a turn at being the leader.
- This game is a good warm-up exercise to increasefocus.
6-“Let’s Tell” Yoga Game:
Played by splitting into twogroups with 4 or more people
Materials Needed: Image Cards (You can cut them from magazines), a timer/stopwatch.
The aim of the game is to tell the word on a card to group members and to collect cards without using that word. At the end of the game, both groups create a yoga flow from their accumulated cards. For this purpose, at the very beginning of the game how long a word be explained is determined. A timer/stopwatch can be used.
Game Proceedings:
- The players are divided into two groups. The cards arestacked on one another with the pictures facing on the bottom. The cards areplaced in a place where all the players can reach. It is decided which groupwill start first.
- One of the players in the first group becomes thenarrator and get the top card. The narrator looks at the picture on the cardand gives the card to one of the players in the second group. The narrator doesnot show the picture in the card to the players in his/her group.
- He tries to explain the word of the picture on thecard to the players in his/her group within the specified time until one ofhis/her group mates finds the right word or until the time is up. For example,if there is a “Sun” picture on the card, the narrator tries to tell the Sunwithout using the word “Sun”. He/she can tell “It warms the world. In themorning it rises”, etc.
- Meanwhile, the players in the second group followwhether the narrator uses the word “Sun”.
- If the players in the first group know the word beforethe time is up, they take the card back from the second group and put it infront of themselves. Thus, they win the card. The queue passes to the secondgroup. If they do not know the word, they put the card at the bottom of thecards and wait for their turn again.
- The game continues until the cards finish. When thecards are finished, each group brings their cards together, creates a yoga flowand displays the postures.
7-Animal Guessing Yoga Game:
Materials Needed:Yoga Cards
Game Proceedings:
- The players sit on the floor in a circle. Aplayer chooses a card from yoga cards, which is made up of animals only. He/Shedoes not show that card to his/her friends.
- Then his/her friends ask questions in order toguess the animal: where does it live, what to eat, what color, how many feet,can it fly, etc?
- The player who wants to guess raises finger;instead of saying the name of the animal verbally, he/she makes the yoga poseof that animal.
- The player who chose the card also looks at the poseand tells whether it is the right animal.
- The game continues until the animal on the cardis guessed.
- Then, another player chooses a new card, and thegame continues.
- In this game, both the person who chooses thecard and the one who guesses must know the yoga poses.
8-Yoga Ball Game:
Materials Needed:A ball
Game Proceedings:
- The children form a standing circle.
- A player throws the ball into the air and at thesame time he/she says the name of a yoga pose. For example, if he/she says“tree”, the other players try to go into the tree pose until their friendretake the ball.
- If anyone cannot do the pose, the player holdingthe ball quickly throws the ball to that friend and tries to hit him/her withthe ball.
- Then the turn passes to that player and he/shethrows the ball into the air and says another yoga pose.
- The game continues. The children develop fastthinking and moving in this way.
9-Fun Train Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: Have some music playing in the background foradded fun.
Game Proceedings:
- Have all of the children line up behind theleader in one straight line. Make sure that there is about an inch or two ofspace between the children.
- The leader, leading the train, will pick a posethat everyone will eventually do. When the leader is ready to start, they willlead the train around the room.
- Passengers or people following will dance ormove as silly and funny as they can, while staying in line or staying on thetrain.
- However, once the leader turns around, everyonemust instantly go into the previously mentioned pose.
- You can take turns by changing train leadersonce they do onelap around the room.
10-Yoga Spinner Game:
Game Proceedings:
- Grab a deck ofyoga pose cards.
- Place a Post-it note under one corner of a fidget spinner to act as a pointer.
- Pick out sixyoga pose cardsand arrange them in a circle around the spinner.
- Spin the spinner and then practice the pose that the pointer lands on.
11-“Add One” Yoga Game:
Game Proceedings:
- Stand in a circle.
- The first personperforms a pose of their choice.
- Everyone practices this pose and the second person adds another one.
- Everyone performs these two poses in order, then the third person adds a new, different pose to the chain.
- Continue on until all students have had a chance to add a pose.
- This is deceptively simple and definitelyworks the memory if you have a large class. With a small class, you may want to go around the circle twice.
- The teacher may have to prompt students who are having difficulty coming up with a new pose to add to the chain.
12-Body Chalk Board:
Body Chalk Boardis a great way to increase bodyawareness and sensory perception. Learning to rely on touch alone is achallenging skill and helps to focus attention and improvemindfulness. Thisgame is also fantastic for learning cooperation and communication skills. Youmay even want to try it with your teens to keep them connected to their body.
Game Proceedings:
- Divide group into pairs.
- Sitting in easy pose,often referred to as criss cross,with one partner in front of the other use your partner’s back as a chalk board.
- Using a finger draw numbers,shapes or letters of the alphabet on the ‘chalk board’.
- The person whose back is the ‘chalk board’ guesses what is being drawn. Wipe the ‘chalk board’ clean with flat palms from top to bottom or side to side before switching roles.
13-Musical Mats:
Materials Needed: Yoga mats or yoga cushions, music
Game Proceedings:
- Justlike musical chairs, musical matsis agameof eliminationinvolving players,mats, andmusic, with one fewermatthanplayers.
- When themusicstops whichever player fails to sit on amat/cushionis eliminated, with amatthen being removed.
- The eliminated friend asks his/her friends on the mats to do a yoga pose. After making sure that they do the pose correctly, he/she steps aside.
- The process is repeated until only one player remains.
14-“Opposites” Yoga Game:
Game Proceedings:
- Explore the meaning of opposites and develop personal creativity with this simple game.
- Each child expresses what they view as the opposite pose: active/passive, forward/backward, right side/left side, up/down, etc.
15-“Museum” Yoga Game:
Game Proceedings:
- Stand in a circle.
- The premise is that you are a museum, and all of the kids are statues.
- They have a secret power of coming to life though.
- One person, the watchman stands in the middle of the circle andthe other students all pose as statues, preferably based on yoga poses.
- Once the watchman is not looking, the statues come to life and are able to change into different statues.
- If the watchman sees them moving, they are caught and have to sit down.
- If they are caught, they sit inyogi style– sitting up straight with hands in a mudra on their knees.
- After a minute of sitting, let them try again. This helps keep them from getting frustrated at getting out.
16-“Hot Potato” Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: Music, Small Animal Toys
Game Proceedings:
• Learners sit in a circle.
• Bring some small toy animals of which you can do yoga poses later.
• Choose a toy to be the “hot potato”.
• Play music and the learners pass the “potato” as quickly as they can around the circle.
• When the music stops, whoever has the “potato/animal toy” shows the yoga pose of that animal toy to the circle.
• You can continue this game as much as you can, or when you finish passing all the toys.
17-“What is missing?” Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: Kids Yoga Cards
• Choose a certain number of cards. If you have just performed winter yoga, you may prefer to choose related yoga pose cards, for instance.
• The number of cards you choose at one time may vary according to the age group of the children. You may try 8 yoga cards for the preschoolers and may be 10-12 cards for 6-7 years-old kids.
• Show the cards to the children and together name them all.
• Then turn all the cards over and shuffle them.
• Carefully remove one card, without the children seeing what it is.
• Turn over the cards. Ask the children which one is missing.
• The kid who wants to guess shows the pose, instead of saying the name of the pose.
• As the kids progress, gradually increase the number of cards to remember.
18-Balloon Dance Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: Balloons, Music
Game Proceedings:
- I know it will be a bit of a challenge but blow up as many balloons as the number of children.
- Then write the names of the yoga poses you practice in class on these balloons. If they don’t know how to read, you can draw the postures in the form of stick figures.
- Start dancing by throwing balloons into the air and playing with music.
- When the music stops, look at the balloon in your hand and do the yoga pose on it.
19-Hot Lava Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: Music, Yoga Cards, Yoga Mats
Game Proceedings:
- Place yoga mats in a circle. And place a yoga card at the top of each mat.
- Start playing music. With music, the children will go in a circle on the mats and be careful not to touch the floor because it is “hot lava”.
- When the music stops, they stop on the mats and do the yoga poses on those mats.
20-Seven Chakra Stones Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: 7 stones/pebbles – painted in chakra colors that can stand balanced when placed on top of each other, a nice and large garden or playground, and a ball.
Game Proceedings:
- The kids are divided into two equal groups – at least 3 children in each group.
- The seven pebbles are stacked in chakra order – red at the bottom and purple at the top.
- A shooting line is determined 8-10 steps away from the pebble tower, where the ball will be fired at the tower.
- Which of the groups will start first is determined.
- The group that will throw the ball to the pebble tower first is lined up on the shooting line. The other group waits by the tower.
- The players of the first group take turns throwing the ball towards the tower. If all the players of one group fail to topple the tower, the turn passes to the other group.
- If one player from a group knocks down the tower with the ball, this group runs away and tries to realign the tower according to the chakra colors without being hit by the ball.
- The aim of the other group is to hit the members of the group that knocked down the tower with the ball, preventing them from rebuilding the tower. If they can hit all the members of the other group, it will be their turn to shoot.
- In the meantime, if the group that knocked down the tower rearranges the seven chakra pebbles in the correct order without being hit by the other side, it will be again their turn to shoot. Players hit with the ball do not have the right to set pebbles.
- In this way, you can play the game as long as you want…
- While playing the game, children may not be able to line up the stones with the correct colors in excitement. Other group members can remind at that time. It is a fun team game with lots of action.
21-Follow the Leader Yoga Game:
It is a fun kid’s game that can be played with kids of all ages. The rules are simple and all you need is children and some imagination.
Game Proceedings:
• Choose who will be the leader. All the other children playing will line up behind the leader in a single line.
• The leader leads the group any direction he/she wants and makes up yoga poses for everyone to do after him/her such as tree, crab, dog, frog, chair poses…
• Children do everything the leader of the line does.
• There is no winner or loser in this game as in other kid’s yoga games.
• Set time limits so everyone gets a chance to be the leader. Children take turns leading and following.
22-Monkey in the Middle Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: A soft ball, and at least 3 children to play
Game Proceedings:
• Choose who will be the first kid/monkey in the middle of the circle.
• All the other players will stand in a circle around the monkey.
• One of the players in the circle will toss the ball to another player in the circle. While the ball is in the air, the monkey will try to grab the ball before the other player catches it.
• If the monkey catches the ball, he/she will show a yoga pose to the circle of players to do with him/her.
• The player who tosses the ball becomes the new monkey while the old monkey takes his/her place in the circle.
• If a player in the circle holds the ball for more than 3 seconds, then he/she is the new monkey.
• This is an endless game with no winners or losers.
23-Handkerchief Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: A Handkerchief
Game Proceedings:
• Divide children into two equal groups and give each a different number. One player on each team must have the same number.
• Teams line up on opposite sides and a handkerchief is placed in the middle.
• At random the teacher calls out a number.
• The players that have been assigned that number both run to the middle and try to be the first one to grab the handkerchief.
• The player who grabs the handkerchief first calls out a yoga pose and everyone does that pose.
24-Feather & Statue Yoga Game:
Materials Needed: Feathers
Before playing this game, you can distribute a feather for each child to visualize better. First, take a big breath in through your nose; As you exhale slowly through your mouth, observe how the feather you hold in your palm flies. For more breathing exercises for kids, take a look at 30 Mindful Breathing Exercises for Kids.
Then turn on some relaxing classical music.
Game Proceedings:
- With the music playing, pretend that you are a feather floating through the air.
- When the music stops, suddenly you freeze and transform into a statue – yoga pose!
- When the music starts, slowly relax as you transform back into the floating feather again.
- Make sure to finish as a floaty feather in a relaxed state.
This exercise releases muscle tension.
If you like to read more about yoga games with music, please visit the page . Or you may want to have more information about memory games.
